PERFORMANCE

​Why did you choose this car?

​Richy: "I grew up watching my father work on cars and because of that, I naturally grew a love for them. I became obsessed at a young age and by the time I was able to learn and use a computer, I started researching and looking up cars. When I reached the age of 12, my admiration for classic Japanese cars began. It didn't take long to stumble upon the S30 and ever since then, it was the car I needed to own."

What was the main goal when the build started?

Richy: "When I first bought my Z, the goal was to build it into a crazy fast swapped car. Due to a lot of events that took place during the beginning of my ownership, it transformed into a tribute car that I can drive and enjoy."

​Do you have a unique story behind the car or build?

Richy: "I came across the car on craigslist while I was on a trip in Austin, TX. I found the perfect 280Z but the only problem was that it was located in Portland, OR. I sent a down payment and when I got back to Indiana, I got a one-way ticket with my father (he was the only one who could help me drive it back with it being so last minute). It was almost an impulse thing, but at the same time while on my flight it just felt right. When we arrived, it was everything he honestly described. After immediately buying it, my father and I drove across the country for two and a half days in this classic Japanese import without a single problem. Bad luck started happening a few weeks after owning it. I was rear ended by my friend and the car had to be worked on for a month. When I got it back, it started having a lot of electrical issues. After weeks of sitting and fixing, it was back on the road with plans to attend Import Alliance's summer meet in 2015. Before I got to the show, I crashed it after losing control on a very sharp downhill turn and smashed the whole front end. The car got towed back home and went to a body shop for several months. During that time, both my mother and father passed away. This is where the emotional connection was established with this car. He was the one who helped me drive it back and we spent a lot of time working on the car together. When I got the car back, the paint and work was horrible. It broke down again and sat over winter while I started plotting the parts and direction I wanted to go with it. I always had a vision for how the exterior would look and thanks to Fast Eddie's Hotrods, they made it a reality. It was sent to their shop for a long period of time to completely strip it down to bare metal and start on the car all over. I recently got it back in the spring time of 2017 and it's the car you see now. This Z is what bridges me to my old life before my parents passed. It's become a tribute car more so towards my father. Every time I sit in it, I think back to the best memory I made my whole life which was purchasing this car and going on the best road trip back home with him before he passed."

What are your future plans for the car?

Richy: "I want to keep this car alive until the day I die. I've even acquired another L28 to build on the side. I plan on doing a high compression build with ITB's and pulling the motor in it to get it ready for a mild turbo set up. I'll have two motors that I'll be swapping throughout its lifetime. I can go LS, 2JZ, or whatever, but I want to stick to the nostalgia sounds and looks of the straight six L-series. The car isn't meant to be fast, but to enjoy the symphonies of the motor that it makes. There is a lot of history that comes with and it's rare to hear them now. 10-20 years, the sound that the L-series make will be incredibly rare as well as seeing them."

Is there anything you would have done differently if you could go back?

Richy: "The following day after my flares arrived to my house, Pandem Rocket Bunny kit was announced by Tra Kyoto. I would have made the decision to go with that kit instead because it was new to the S30 community. "

Do you have any shoutouts?

Richy: "Fast Eddie's Hotrods for all their body and paint work.Rajeet from Mastermind DNA for getting my the Panasports built for my Z.Tan Gune's for building all my exhaust set ups. All of my friends who've helped me on this emotional journey, whether it was working on my car or being there for me during my hard times and to those who've stayed by my side to this day."